They Do Field Work With A 3 Section 60 Ft Toolbar

They do field work with a 3 section 60 ft toolbar PLANTERS Planters 13-6-25 A custom-built 60-ft. toolbar equipped with hydraulic outlets and a 3-pt. hitch on each of its three sections lets Milford and Arlyn Friesen, Litchfield, Neb., pull three mounted 8-row planters together, and do the same with other 3-pt. mounted implements including row crop cultivators, field cultivators, rotary hoes, fertilizer applicators, and grain drills. The Friesens worked with Strobel Indus-tries, Clarks, Neb., to build the one-of-akind 60-ft. wide toolbar which is built from 7 by 7-in. box tubing in three sections, each equipped to handle 3-pt. equipment. The toolbar's eight lifting gauge wheels mount ahead of the toolbar, leaving the area behind the toolbar clear for hookup. "We used a 24-row planter for five years and needed to replace it," says Milford, who planted 5,000 acres with their new toolbar last year, pulling it with a 225-hp 4-WD tractor. "We wanted to continue planting 24 rows at a time since it had proved to be the most practical size for our farming operation. We already owned 8 and 12-row till-age equipment to go along with our 24-row planter. We decided to build a 60-ft. wide toolbar that would carry three 8-row planters and be useful for other field operations. Our objective was to retain the efficiency of wide body farming operations while making it possible to use popular size mounted implements, since their initial cost per row or per foot is lower and their resale value seems to be higher. We buil tour own toolbar because we couldn't find a 24-row unit equipped with forward lift gauge wheels." The toolbar allows the Friesens to gang different combinations of 3-pt. mounted implements, planters, or drills. For example, they pull two 8-row cultivators on the out-side sections and a 6-row model on the inside section to cultivate 24 rows at a time. They could also gang other unmatched equipment together such as two 15-ft. grain drills with a 20-ft., or two 22-ft. fertilizer applicators with a 16-ft. model. It lets the Friesens use whatever equipment they have available or can purchase at the best price. To mount planters, the Friesens clamp the planter toolbars directly to the 60-ft. toolbar. "Clamping the planters or drills to the toolbar results in consistent guess rows, yet the implements are still separated from each other so they can flex on sidehills. It takes 1 1/2 hours to mount three planters, and a half hour to unhook them. It takes only minutes to hook up other implements which use the 3-pt. hitches." The toolbar is drawn from the bottom two points of the tractor's 3-pt. hitch. Two lift wheels raise each outside section and four lift wheels raise the inside section. The Friesens designed a 5-piece, 3-stage, 15-ft. long tongue that telescopes the toolbar forward for a transport length of 35 ft. As the toolbar folds forward, the implement on each outside section folds with it. Once the toolbar is in transport position, the lift wheels on the outside sections fold out of the way, leaving the four wheels on the center section to support the toolbar in transport. Transport width can be as narrow as 15 ft. Toolbar operation requires three hydraulic outlets - one to drive the planters' orbit motors, one to lift the planter, and one to operate the markers which the Friesens purchased from a Kinze dealer. "To fold the planter, we unplug the marker hoses and plug in the folding cylinders. After we've unfolded the planter, we plug the markers back in," says Milford, who notes that Strobel Industries is willing to custom-build the toolbars in widths from 36 to 60 ft. A 60-ft. model would cost about $27,000. For more information, contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Milford Friesen, Box 174, Litchfield, Neb. 68852 (ph 308 446-2577) or Strobel Industries, Inc., Box 255, Clarks, Neb. 68628 (ph 308 548-2254).

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